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Superman
"My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they would reject me... out of fear. I let my father die because I trusted him. Because he was convinced that I had to wait. That the world wasn't ready. What do you think?" : ―Clark's speech to Cookiesrc Clark Jordan Diamond '''1 was an incredibly powerful alien superhero of the House of El,Wife of Cookie Diamond and son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, a Kingpin of Drug business, and one of the extremely few survivors of the destruction of Krypton. In addition, Kal-El is the first (and last) Kryptonian of natural birth in centuries and the host of the Kryptonian Growth Codex. '''The Father of Jake,theo,hakeem Diamond. When Kal-El's father, Jor-El, realized that Krypton was doomed, he and his wife Lara sent their son to Earth, where he would be found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Using his powers, he defends the people of Metropolis from threats, such as the terraforming attempted by the Kryptonian war criminal General Zod, using the moniker Superman. Two years later, Superman would grow increasingly wary of the vigilante Batman, and was ultimately forced into a fight with the Dark Knight by a new enemy, this time, the malevolent supergenius Lex Luthor. However, the two of them would ultimately settle their differences and team up with Wonder Woman, together managing to take down the unleashed monster Doomsday, though Superman himself was seemingly killed in the process by the dying monster. Earth's greatest hero was honorably buried in Heroes Park, with the world mourning his passing, and his heroic sacrifice posthumously inspiring both Batman and Wonder Woman to begin establishing the valiant Justice League, in order to battle any future threats to the world. Amanda Waller cites the emergence of Superman as the reason why the government needs to use metahumans before they are used against the government, as there is no way to predict the allegiances of "the next Superman". Thus, Superman is, in a way, indirectly posthumously responsible for the formation of Task Force X. Biography Early Life : "Goodbye my son - our hopes and dreams travel with you." : ―Jor-El's farewell to Kalsrc Kal-El was born somewhere around 1980 on the faraway planet Krypton to Jor-El, a scientist in the Kryptonian Thinker Guild, and his wife Lara Lor-Van in the wake of a military coup d’état led by his father's lifelong friend and commander in the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, General Dru-Zod. When he made his first cries, they were heard by some Rondors grazing near the House of El Citadel. Kal-El was the first (and, tragically, last) naturally born Kryptonianchild on the planet in centuries (due to artificial population control and genetic engineering having been established after the end of the age of Krypton's cosmic expansion), and thus not appointed into any of the predetermined Kryptonian Guilds. Foreseeing that the planet was about to explode, his father dispatched him in a small starship to carry him to safety, sending him to Earth, located in Sector 2814 of the galaxy, many light years away from Krypton. Jor-El knew of a colonial settler ship sent millennia ago, where his son would grow up with astonishing powers (becoming a godlike being to the people of Earth), while looking identical to the planet's population. Right before bidding his son farewell, Jor-El bonded the genetic information within Krypton's Growth Codex to the cell's of Kal-El's body, after which he finally placed a Command Key into the starship, so that Kal-El might be able to one day meet and converse with his father's AI. Just as Jor-El was about to launch the ship, however, General Zod barged into the Citadel with his Sword of Raoand engaged his former friend in a fierce duel, desperate to retrieve the Codex and abort the launch. Lara, however, succeeded in launching the starship, inducing an enraged Zod to stab her husband, lethally injuring and killing him. Determined to get the Codex at any cost, Zod ordered a loyal Sword of Rao pilot to shoot Kal-El's starship down, but at that moment, the pilot himself was shot down by a starship of the Sapphire Guards. This gave just enough time for the Phantom Drive of Kal-El's ship to activate, opening a portal through the Phantom Zone to Earth's solar system through which the starship disappeared, just as Zod and his loyalists were outnumbered and forced to surrender to the Sapphire Guards. Hearing in Washington : "Today is a day for truth." : ―June Finchsrc While the rest of the world is still busy debating on "The Superman Question", Clark returns home to Smallville to visit his mother Martha. There, she advises him that either way, he shouldn't be concerned with what others think of him, assures him that he is neither a threat, nor a killer, and that ultimately, he doesn't owe planet Earth a thing. Despite much media speculation to the contrary, Superman arrives to speak and answer at Senator Finch's committee, at the US Capitol in Washington DC. While there are notably quite a few anti-Superman protesters gathered there (with banners labelled "SuperDeath", "Thanks for the "Help"", "Earth Belongs to Humans", "God Hates Aliens" and "Aliens Doom Nations", a House of El glyph with a Nazi swastika, as well as an alien-shaped head on a pole), Lois stands there as well, for additional support The trial is also attended by Lex Luthor's personal assistant, Mercy Graves. Right before the trial, Kahina Ziri approaches Senator Finch, revealing herself to be an actress that Lex had hired to lie, so Finch resolves to mention this in the trial as well, intending to clear his name. When Superman enters, Finch starts out by pointing out to him a witness/victim of Superman's actions, Wallace Keefe, who lost his legs during the Black Zero Event. After suddenly noticing a distasteful note left for her by Lex Luthor (a jar of urine, labelled "Granny's Peach Tea"), a startled Finch stops in mid-speech, before a bomb (hidden inside Keefe's lead-lined wheelchair by Lex) explodes, killing her, Graves, Keefe, and everyone else present, except for the invulnerable but mortified Superman. Right after the explosion, Superman stays to help, carrying an injured woman to safety. He begins to look around him and sees dozens of dead bodies and injured civilians, he begins swelling with guilt, and throws a glance of sorrow at Lois, before launching off into the air. Duel with Batman : "Stay down! If I wanted it, you'd be dead already!" : ―Superman to Batmansrc Superman arrives at Gotham, where Batman is waiting for him. Superman tries to reason with Batman, beginning with an apology for wrongly accusing him of being a criminal and trying to explain what Luthor has done, however, the latter being enraged at Superman refused to listen and attacked the former with various weapons (first sonic emitters, then automatic machine guns), which Superman is able to quickly dispose of with relative ease. Then, even while holding back, Superman proves his dominance, when he proceeds to send Batman flying and bouncing down the street with a light push, and grabs him, easily lifting Batman over his head with one arm, and sending him flying down a street with another light heave, after which he tackles Batman right through a building, to its top, and throws him across the roof, smashing Batman right through the Bat-Signal. Superman tries to plead with Batman, telling him that if he wanted to kill him he could easily and would have done so already. Batman, loudly panting from his great effort, rises and hurls a smoke bomb, which Superman just speed-runs through. Batman, having used that moment to stealthily move and position himself behind Superman, proceeds to shoots a grenade at Superman, which the latter easily catches. Kryptonite gas begins to come out of it. His power now diminished to human levels, Superman is then thrown trough a window on the roof of the building by Batman. Inside, the two begin to exchange blows. As Batman has Superman backed against a wall, Superman's powers begin to come back and Batman's punches no longer have any effect on him. Superman again proves his dominance when he begins to throw Batman around until the Dark Knight uses another Kryptonite weapon on him. Personality : "You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards! They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders!" : ―Jor-El to Superman.src Superman is exceptionally kind-hearted, possessing a strong sense of justice, honor, and selfless benevolence. Growing up as the only person of his kind, thus being very different and alienated by his peers, Clark grew up a very confused, lonely, and lost person. Hence, this, as well as his inability to understand his superhuman powers, made Clark subconsciously suppress them, with him unable to reach his full potential for many years (until he finally met Jor-El). Instilled by his parents, he grew up to selflessly care for other people and to do the right thing. Realizing that he could help others with his powers, Clark went against his father's (Jonathan) wishes to help others. Clark would even go out of his way to save Peter Ross, a boy that had relentlessly bullied him not long ago. This selflessness and faith in others shows that even before meeting Jor-El, Clark already strived to uphold what the House of El had always stood for: hope, embodied in which is the potential that every individual has to be a force for good and righteousness. Clark went on a journey of discovery in which he learned to control his pent up anger, instead of releasing his incredible power on mere humans, he instead found different means, like secretly crushing a metal pipe when aggressively dared by a bully to fight, and wrecking the truck of Ludlow when the latter insulted Clark and his co-worker. As a result, Superman grew accustomed to holding back his incredible strength and powers quite a bit unless absolutely necessary, which is evident when Superman expressed his intention of taking in Lex Luthor "without breaking" him, and when Superman greatly held back while fighting the far weaker Batman. While he tended to be quite serious and even brooding, when he meets Cookie Diamond and receives empathy from her, Clark begins to enjoy life a bit more, with her spunky and sometimes flirty personality having a gradual effect on Clark. He was romantic, flirty, and affectionate towards her, enough that he could get into a tub with her while he himself was fully clothed. Despite usually being calm, gentle and collected, Clark is capable of terrifying displays of rage when provoked, shown when General Zod threatened his adopted mother Martha. Clark promptly tackled the supervillain off and released his incredible rage upon him, temporarily beating Zod into submission. Clark's anger was again shown when Zod threatened innocent bystanders, making Clark determined to put an end to General Zod's relentless rampage. As a result though, Clark was inevitably forced to kill the malevolent Zod, an act that Clark was fully remorseful of, prompting him to scream out agony and tears at what he had to do. However, after this, Superman is less hesitant about killing enemies in extreme situations when presented with no other choice, such as him impaling the monstrous Doomsday through the chest using a Kryptonite spear. Also, after learning that Lex Luthor had kidnapped his adopted mother, an incredibly infuriated Superman threatened Lex with his heat vision, but stopped when realizing that his mother would die if he attacked. Despite having felt isolated from humanity for most of his life due to his powers, when he learned about Zod's plans to restore Krypton on Earth, Superman immediately chose to protect humanity over Krypton, absolutely refusing General Zod's offer to help the Sword of Rao sacrifice Clark's adopted people for the sake of a planet that had already been destroyed decades ago. He thus agreed with his father Jor-El that Krypton had had its chance, and that its time had long-since passed. As Superman, Clark is willing to face seemingly insurmountable odds, potentially endanger his own life and safety, and even make choices that greatly conflict with his morality, as long as he is capable of ultimately saving innocent lives as a result. This is evident when he made the choice to reveal and surrender himself to General Zod in order to save Earth, when he faced the combined might of Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek (both much more skilled combatants) without hesitation, when he promptly flew off to destroy the World Engine (despite knowing that being in proximity to it might potentially kill him), when he stubbornly flew against the tremendous force of a Phantom Zone singularity in order to save Lois, when he implored Batman (armed with the Kryptonite spear) to save his mother rather than beg for his own life, when he willingly endangered himself in order to ensure that a nuclear missile hit Doomsday, when he made the incredibly hard choice to kill General Zod, and when he does his utmost to take down Doomsday, persisting even after being mortally wounded himself, persisting defiantly up until his own dying breath (to further plunge his weapon into Doomsday), much to Batman and Wonder Woman's admiration and respect. In fact, Superman's determination and willpower were so great, that he was even able to temporarily overcome the weakening effects of Kryptonite for several seconds, long enough for him to fly up to Doomsday and deliver the killing blow. Due to Superman's indomitable will, great power, selfless morality, and natural birth, Jonathan Kent believed that his adopted son would one day "stand proudly in front of the human race" and ultimately "change the world", while Jor-El believed in his son's ability to represent "the best" of both Earth and Krypton, and to one day give the people of Earth "an ideal to strive towards." As such, shortly after Superman's debut to the world, a huge statue of him is built in Metropolis, and online message boards are created, which numerous people from all over the world use as a means to ask Superman for help. However, as Jor-El predicted, many people (notably Lex Luthor, Batman, Glen Woodburn, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Andrew Sullivan) would at first be slow to fully accept the unrestrained supremely powerful godlike alien (with Superman even coming to doubt himself after failing to stop the US Capitol's bombing, even going into self-imposed exile, thinking that "Superman" had never been real), they would all (except for Lex Luthor), after his heroic selfless death at the hands of Doomsday, finally come to posthumously see, admire, and look up to him as Earth's greatest superhero. In addition, Superman's heroic death would inspire Batman and Wonder Woman to establish the Justice League, posthumously honoring him, with Batman determined not to fail Superman in death. Also, Superman's noble sacrifice seems to have finally given Batman a more optimistic and hopeful outlook, since he says to Wonder Woman that despite their many flaws, men are still good, and that they do in fact have the potential in them to rebuild and improve (a crucial House of El-based belief held by Superman himself in life). As Amanda Wallernoted, quite a few metahumans were also inspired by Superman's selfless sacrifice, which induced them to finally come out into the open and reveal themselves to the world as well, with a notable one of them being the speedster superhero Flash. Even villainous metahumans (like Killer Croc, El Diablo, Enchantress, and Incubus) would be similarly inspired. Despite his great benevolence, however, Superman is ultimately not completely incorruptible, since, as seen in the vision of a possible future (shown to Batman by that future's Flash), when Cookie Diamond were brutally murdered, Superman's devastation and incredible grief would unhinge him, inducing him to to become dark and malevolent, going so far as to take over the Earth (with a stormtrooper army) as its tyrant totalitarian ruler that let the world be taken over by alien Parademons. This version of Superman wore a permanent sinister scowl, and was able to kill without any reluctance and in the most ruthless and brutal of ways, allowing him to burn his prisoners into ash with heat vision, and to break through the chest of that future's Batman, ripping out the latter's heart. Indeed, this evil version of Superman was so dark, hardcore, and fearsome, that even Batman himself showed visible signs of fear when Superman confronted the imprisoned vigilante, holding the latter at his mercy. Thankfully though, the present day's Batman seems to have successfully altered that timeline, as he heeded the advice of that future's Flash - to find and assemble the Justice League. Powers and Abilities : "You've grown stronger here than I ever could have imagined - the only way to know how strong, is to keep testing your limits!" : ―Jor-El to Superman.src Kryptonian Physiology: '''As a Kryptonian, Superman's bone structure is almost identical to that of a human. On a planet near a red class M main-sequence star (like Krypton with its sun Rao), Superman would have physical attributes nearly identical to those of humans, but if on a planet near a yellow G-type main-sequence star (like Earth), he has many new abilities and powers, all of them far beyond the capabilities of humans, and even most metahumans, making Superman appear as a godlike juggernaut (with Nairomian Kahina Ziri claiming that Superman doesn't answer even to God, with a crowd of Mexicans openly worshipping Superman as a God, and with Lex Luthor comparing Superman to the deities of Horus, Apollo, and Jehovah), which thus makes him the Justice League's most powerful member. His father Jor-El states that Superman has become more powerful than the former ever could have imagined and that the only way to know just how powerful, is for Superman to "keep testing the limits". Batman once even went so far as to say that these powers make Superman capable of single-handedly wiping out the entire human race. As such, even Alfred stated that Batman trying to fight Superman head-on would be "suicide" for the former, and Amanda Waller spearheaded the creation of Task Force X, in order to have a team powerful enough to fight back against an opponent of Superman's power (and far less friendly intentions) if such is to potentially turn up. Hence, Superman often withholds his power unless absolutely necessary, due to the incredible destruction it can potentially cause. The only known being to slightly surpass Superman in power is the ferocious monster Doomsday. Superman's abilities are continuously nourished by the earth's atmosphere and radiation of the yellow sun. * '''Solar Battery: Superman's Kryptonian cells absorb only yellow solar energy and this in turn fuels all of his powers and abilities. His cells also store solar energy as well, allowing him to retain his powers under roofed structures or even at night, although he eventually needs a yellow sun to recharge his powers. However, due to being on Earth for years and having adapted to Earth's environment, Superman is more powerful than any Kryptonian that has immediate exposure. In fact, direct exposure to sunlight can allow Superman to recover and heal almost instantly from most of his weaknesses, notably otherwise incurable Kryptonite-inflicted wounds and damage, giving him powerful regenerative healing capabilities. * Super Strength:'''Superman has a tremendous level of superhuman strength, virtually incalculable, as he is able to carry more than 1 million tons, and is the physically strongest member of the Justice League, with Doomsdaybeing the only known being to slightly surpass his strength. As a teenager, he was able to push a bus out of a river and effortlessly bend a solid metal pole. As an adult, even while considerably limited by his mental block, Clark was still incredibly strong, enough to swiftly destroy Ludlow's truck with lumber, to crush an extremely durable Kryptonian Android, and to hold up an oil rig's collapsing drilling derrick, though the latter somewhat strained him. After finally reaching his full potential as Superman, he became considerably stronger, with his punches being powerful enough to generate large shockwaves, with him now able to effortlessly kill humans (tearing the heart from Batman's chest in a nightmare vision of a possible future), to effortlessly hurl cars and trucks extreme distances, to instantly destroy mountain tops, to break through the extremely thick hull of the Black Zero starship with a light punch, to break out of Kryptonian Liquid Geo constructs, to fight evenly against fellow Kryptonians General Zod, Faora, and Nam-Ek (despite them all being considerably more experienced and skilled combatants), to tow a gigantic steamship by its anchor chain through Arctic ice without any strain, to shift an entire tectonic plate (to stop an earthquake), and to even stand up against the tremendous force of a World Engine's gigantic gravity beam, and proceeding to fly up against it. Superman also managed to briefly knock the larger Kryptonian Nam-Ek unconscious with a tremendously mighty punch, and even break through the invulnerability of fellow Kryptonian General Zod, breaking the latter's otherwise invulnerable neck without the need of Kryptonite. Superman was even able to hold his own in a prolonged ferocious battle with the slightly stronger and much larger monster Doomsday (sending him flying with the tremendous might of his blows, and even managing to restrain Doomsday long enough for a nuke to hit them), ultimately bringing the seemingly unstoppable monstrous juggernaut down, albeit only succeeding at the cost of his own life. Hence, even while holding back, Superman still swiftly and easily beat the heavily armored Batman to the ground three times - first sending him flying over 40 feet with a light push, then lightly tossing him down an alleyway, and finally hurling him lightly into the Bat-Signal, shattering it and a large portion of the surrounding roof. Even before fully recovering from a Kryptonite gas attack and regaining only a small fraction of his strength, Superman was already strong enough to block a mighty kick from the armored Batman, and to hurl the latter through a thick concrete wall, both without any strain. ** '''Super Leaps: Superman is able to use his incredible strength to perform super jumps, shown when he leaped tremendous distances in the Arctic, while trying to master his power of flight. After having learned how to fly, however, Superman hardly ever uses this power. * Super Stamina: Superman almost never grows tired if he is continuously powered by the yellow sun of Earth. He doesn't need to eat, sleep, or breathe. He is able to survive flying into outer space and diving underwater. There was originally a limit to his stamina, as Clark showed strain while lifting an oil rig's huge collapsing drilling derrick, but that was before he reached his full potential (being considerably limited at the time by a mental block), and he was still ultimately able to lift it. After embracing his heritage and reaching his full potential, Superman hardly showed signs of fatigue, notably even towing a gigantic steamship by its anchor chain through Arctic ice without any strain. While he did grow tired after destroying the World Engine, Superman was able to recover almost instantly under direct sunlight, and to swiftly fly back to Metropolis, battle the pull of a Phantom Zone energy singularity, and fight General Zod, all without needing to catch his breath. Even during his ferocious mortal battle with the slightly stronger Doomsday, Superman, despite being considerably pressured by the huge ever-evolving monstrous juggernaut, never slowed down. ** Super Speed: Superman can run and fly at tremendous supersonic speeds. During his first flight, Superman traveled all the way from the Arctic to the savannahs of Kenya and then to the Monument Valley in Utah, all in a matter of minutes3. At full speed, he was able to fly right through the World Engine and destroy it. Hence, Superman managed to tackle an armed Nairomi terrorist away from Lois before he managed to shoot her in the head. Superman flew back from the Indian Ocean to Metropolis in less than a minute, which easily makes his speed greater than Mach 900. Superman was even able to use his speed to escape the tremendous gravitational pull of a Phantom Zone energy singularity. Superman is thus the second fastest member of the Justice League, with the only known being capable of moving slightly faster than Superman being the speedster Flash. ** Super Reflexes: Superman's speed seems to extend to his reflexes as well, as he managed to easily catch a Kryptonite gas grenade shot at him by Batman at close range, caught a punch from the larger Kryptonian Nam-Ek while being pinned down by him and Faora, from whom he also managed to catch a punch, and was able to avoid a couple of strikes from the equally fast and far more skilled General Zod. ** Invulnerability: Superman's body is incredibly durable, virtually indestructible, so he is nicknamed the "Man of Steel" as a result, being the most durable member of the Justice League.Hence, Superman can withstand the extreme heat of an oil rig conflagration (along with said oil rig's collapse), the extreme cold of the Arctic, an exposure to the vacuum of outer space, falls from great heights, a collision with the Batmobile (causing it to harmlessly glance off of him), a high-speed collision with a mountain top (sheering it off in the process), high-caliber bullets (from both military jets and automated machine guns), anti-tank depleted uranium rounds, Maverick missiles, plasma bolts from Tor-An's Kryptonian Dropship, contact with extremely hot constructs of Liquid Geo3, numerous mighty blows from fellow Kryptonians (notably surviving a tremendous beating from the combined might of Faora and Nam-Ek) and even many tremendously mighty blows from the stronger Doomsday, attacks of other Kryptonians' heat vision (though it does cause him burning pain on contact), and even the full force of a World Engine's colossal gravity beam, spaghettification from a Phantom Zone energy singularity, as well as the stupendously destructive electrical shockwave and thermal blasts from Doomsday, and the full force of a nuclear bomb (which did, however, extremely weaken him, if only temporarily, though this may be because he was exposed to Kryptonite gas twice shortly beforehand).While Superman can be affected by the considerable force of powerful impacts, they only at most cause him to stumble and briefly knock him down, leaving him unscathed. The only things capable of breaking through Superman's invulnerability and actually harming him are Aquaman's Trident4, Wonder Woman's Sword, Batman's Kryptonite spear, and beings of comparable incalculable strength (such as other Kryptonians and the monster Doomsday), as they are strong enough to physically break through his invulnerability without the need of Kryptonite, shown when Superman himself managed to kill fellow Kryptonian General Zod by breaking his otherwise invulnerable neck, and when Doomsday seemingly killed Superman by stabbing right through the latter's otherwise invulnerable chest with his tremendously hard and sharp bone protrusion. ** Healing Factor: 'Superman, in the rare instances when he is hurt, is shown to heal at superhuman speeds, such as when he was knocked unconscious by the explosion and collapse of an oil rig, taking a tremendous beating from the combined forces of Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek, and the full force of the gigantic beam of the World Engine. He almost instantly recovered from the World Engine, once exposed to sunlight. A wound on his face inflicted by Kryptonite left Superman with degraded cells within the wound, and this did not disappear until only after Superman was directly exposed to the sun. After being hit by a nuclear missile, Superman survives the tremendous explosion, but is greatly weakened, with his body desiccated into a slightly disintegrated corpse-like state (though this may be because he was exposed to Kryptonite gas twice shortly beforehand, and had not yet fully recovered without solar exposure), but as soon as he is exposed to the sun's radiation, his cells are reinvigorated almost at once, allowing Superman to recover to full power in mere seconds, and resume fighting Doomsday. However, if the injuries are serious enough to instantly kill him (such as when Superman broke fellow Kryptonian General Zod's neck, and when he himself was mortally stabbed by Doomsday), his healing factor will not be able to save him. However, since it is implied that Superman might still actually be alive, this might be due to his healing factor. ** '''Flight:'Superman can fly due to him being able to manipulate his own gravity field (since Earth's gravity is considerably lighter than Krypton's) and absorbing yellow sunlight. Combined with his speed, Superman can fly at tremendous supersonic speeds (beyond Mach 900), allowing him to take off into the atmosphere and even outer space and land safely back onto the planet's surface with ease. He can also maneuver with precision in any direction, as well as hover in one place. ** '''Super Breath: Superman, as long as he is exposed to yellow solar radiation and can access his energy stores, is capable of surviving without the need to breathe, allowing him to walk through a burning oil rig, travel at tremendous supersonic speeds, remain underwater, and even in the vacuum of outer space, all for lengthy periods of time without suffocation. ** Super Vision: Superman has superhuman eyesight far beyond that of humans. He thus possesses a superior sensory arrangement of telescopic, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma ray visual capabilities. He can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum when he desires, through mental focus. However, in his youth, his vision overwhelmed him as he saw everything at once, though he managed to hone his senses and bypass that weakness after some encouragement from Clark Diamond. ** Telescopic Vision: Superman has the ability to focus his vision to see something at a great distance, by mentally zooming in. Hence, he was able to see the Black Zero in space from Smallville, and (in combination with his X-ray vision), he saw Lois inside the falling capsule. ** X-Ray Vision:'''Superman can see through almost any object, with him able to focus his vision past layers of matter, literally seeing "through" them, possibly perceiving X-rays, cosmic rays or other forms of energy invisible to normal human vision which pass through Earth's atmosphere (and solid objects). He is able to clearly see through the one-way glass in the interrogation room, reading Dr. Hamilton's ID badge in the latter's pocket, and simultaneously see through several walls into adjacent rooms, clearly seeing the soldiers in them. The only known materials known to be impenetrable to Superman's X-ray vision are lead (making him unable to see the bomb in Wallace Keefe's lead-lined wheelchair), the force field of a Kryptonian breather (when rendered opaque)3, as well as the Kryptonian metal which the walls of the Fortress of Solitude were composed of.3 ** '''Heat Vision: Superman has the ability to fire thick beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it with the conscious act of activating this power.Visually, the power manifests as two thick laser-like beams of red light firing from his eyes. These beams can be made less intense, rendering them invisible, allowing Clark to work undetected. He has extremely fine control of this ability, as Superman was able to swiftly cauterize Lois Lane's wound without fatally burning her, for instance. At full power, Clark can utilize his heat vision to instantly disintegrate humans(Batman's allies in a nightmare vision of a possible future), instantly melt a thick steel beam, swiftly burrow a wide cylindrical passage through an Arctic glacier, momentarily stun other Kryptonians (causing them burning pain on the impact), destroy the Fortress' Genesis Chamber, and even bring down an entire skyscraper in one blast (as evidenced by General Zod doing so to the Wayne Financial Building). However, Superman's heat vision was not quite as powerful as that of Doomsday, seen when the latter's much thicker optical beams were able to relatively quickly overpower his when Superman meet them head-on. ** Super Hearing: '''Superman has incredible hearing at extreme variances of sound and pitch frequency, allowing him to pick up numerous sounds (including both infrasound and ultrasound) and noises from immense distances. In his youth, this along with his superhuman vision overwhelmed him, but he eventually learned to control it. After honing his senses, he has shown enough control to block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency. Hence, Superman was able to clearly hear Alfred's voice in Batman's earpiece, clearly hear General Swanwick and Dr. Hamilton's voices and heartbeats from within a soundproof interrogation cell, clearly heard Martha Kent in distress at the Kent Farm from miles away, and even heard Lois Lanedrowning miles away, over all of the noise of his ferocious battle with Doomsday. ** '''Lie Detection: Superman can tell whether people are lying or not, based on the rate of their heartbeats, which he is quick to warn General Swaneick about.3 ** Super Smell: Superman has incredibly acute olfactory senses, as he was able to detect the "distinct saline odor" of the Genesis Chamber on the Fortress of Solitude, in spite of the very thick translucent barrier that separated him from it.3 ** Longevity: Superman, as a Kryptonian under a yellow sun, has a lifespan far greater than that of a human. As such, he doesn't show signs of age as long as the yellow sun is there to empower him. As Superman is unaffected by earthly diseases and draws energy from the sun to live, he is effectively an ageless immortal on Earth. ** Combatant:Superman, despite not having any formal combat training, is an extremely formidable fighter when battling against most opponents, due to his tremendous godlike strength and powers. When pitted against equally strong opponent Kryptonianswith more combat skill, Superman was shown to be a quick improvisational learner and effective brawler. Hence, when forced to battle against the combined might of Faora and Nam-Ek of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, Superman was able to effectively use his powers of flight and heat vision (not yet acquired by either of them) to his advantage, allowing Superman to gain a slight upper hand. Superman then proceeded to use his superior speed and agility to swiftly take out the larger Nam-Ek, and, despite him initially struggling to keep up with the equally fast and much more skilled Faora in a straight-up fight and initially losing to her, Superman managed to ultimately also defeat Faora by catching her off-guard and subsequently breaking through her helmet.Hence, Superman fared better in his final duel with General Zod himself, since despite the latter maintaining the upper hand throughout most of it, Superman persisted, and, with an immense amount of effort, was able to ultimately defeat and kill him. After 2 years of experience, Superman's fighting skills considerably improve, to the point that he is even able to hold his own against the stronger and much larger Doomsday in a prolonged duel, with it ultimately ending in a draw, as both mighty alien juggernauts end up seemingly killing each other. Even when Superman was temporarily weakened down to human levels (by a Kryptonite gas grenade) and pitted against the extremely skilled and experienced armored Batman, Superman still temporarily held his own, and even dominated the Dark Knight for a bit, driving the latter to abandon physical combat and rely on his second Kryptonite grenade for victory. ** Genius-Level Intellect: Superman, while not quite on par with Lex Luthor, is extraordinarily intelligent, most likely due to him being the son of Jor-El, the greatest genetically engineered scientist of the Kryptonian Thinker Guild. Clark's prodigious intelligence was implied at an early age, as Clark won a science fair at age 9 and was shown to be reading "The Republic of Plato", a highly complex piece of historical literature, when he was only 13, effectively making him a wunderkind. As an adult, Clark managed to successfully falsify information concerning his identity, name, and work history, and stay hidden as he traveled the world for many years. Clark also displayed basic medical knowledge when cauterizing Lois Lane's wound, and could instinctively tell that General Zod couldn't be trusted (based on the latter's past criminal actions on Krypton and threat against humanity). As a reporter, Clark is considered a "nerd" by Perry White, managed to twice receive the Elliot Prize for Investigative Journalism after only a year at the Daily Planet (the first of any of the reporters on the Daily Planet staff to earn such prestige and illustrious status so quickly), and was swiftly able to deduce that Batman often targets poorer areas in Gotham, that he is aided by the city's police in his anti-crime crusade, and even that his alter ego is Bruce Wayne. ** Tactician: Superman, though not quite on par with Batman (due to having far less experience), has proven himself a capable tactician in combat, as when facing off with the far more skilled and experienced Faora, he effectively held his own against her and Nam-Ek by taking advantage of the powers he had mastered, that both of them had not yet developed (flight and heat vision primarily), and ultimately defeated Faora by intentionally taking her by surprise and destroying her solar visor to expose Faora to a sensory overload (rendering Faora nearly helpless). During his battle with General Zod, aware the latter's intentions to kill the entire human race, Superman made an effort to keep him away from innocent bystanders - knocking Zod up to into an unoccupied construction site, keeping him airborne and above the city with repeated strikes, grappling and tossing him into outer space, and ultimately restraining him in a headlock to keep General Zod from causing any more harm (though Zod subsequently forced Superman to kill him then). During his battle with Doomsday, after taking the monster into outer space, Superman immediately recognized the nuclear missile shot at them, and took the opportunity to hold the monster into place so that it could be destroyed by the weapon. However, when that failed, Superman recalled the Kryptonite spear's deadly effects on Kryptonian physiology (with that allowing Batman to beat him in their recent fight) and successfully utilized it to kill Doomsday after realizing that brute force alone wasn't enough to defeat the ever-evolving monstrous juggernaut. ** Indomitable Will: Superman has tremendous determination and strength of will, since, much like Batman, he refuses to give up, even when placed against seemingly insurmountable odds. Hence, despite being badly outmatched and outnumbered in his fight against the combined efforts of Faora and Nam-Ek, his battle with the World Engine's gigantic gravity beam, and his final duel with General Zod, and taking a tremendous beating from all of them, Superman promptly rose up and kept on fighting, persisting until he eventually managed to gain the upper hand. Superman later refused to back down when faced by the stronger and more powerful Doomsday, and proceeded to team up with Wonder Woman and Batman to take the seemingly unstoppable monstrous juggernaut down, persisting with his utmost until Doomsday was defeated, persisting even after being himself mortally stabbed by the monster, persisting defiantly up until his own dying breath (to further plunge his weapon into Doomsday), much to Batman and Wonder Woman's admiration and respect. In fact, Superman's determination and willpower were so great, that he was even able to temporarily overcome the weakening effects of the Kryptonite spear for several seconds, long enough for him to fly up to Doomsday and plunge the weapon into the monster. ** Intimidation (Possible Alternate Future): Superman's evil version (in Batman's nightmare vision of a possible future) was so dark, hardcore, and fearsome, that even Batman himself showed visible signs of fear when Superman confronted the imprisoned vigilante, holding the latter at his mercy. Equipment * Supersuit: Superman's traditional Kryptonian skinsuit3, which he wears when openly demonstrating his powers as a superhero, by helping others in need. It was ultimately damaged in his mortal duel with Doomsday, when the monster pierced Superman's chest. * House of El Command Key (Formerly): Superman's piece of highly advanced Kryptonian technology, made of Liquid Geo, which allowed him to operate and use the Fortress of Solitude, as well as communicate with Jor-El's artificial intelligence. He wore it on his neck as a pendant during his many years of searching for answers. It was, however, ultimately sucked into the Phantom Zone. * Infant Starship (Formerly): Superman's former starship (equipped with a Phantom Drive), which Jor-Eland Lara had used to send him to Earth as an infant. It was, however, ultimately sucked into the Phantom Zone. * Fortress of Solitude: Superman discovered this ancient Kryptonian scout ship deep under Canadian ice, after which he promptly took possession of it. He made the Fortress his temporary residence, when he communicated with the AI of Jor-El. The Fortress used to contain a Kryptonian Genesis Chamber with Aquabots, though Superman was forced to destroy it when General Zod briefly stole the Fortress and attempted to exploit it. However, after the Black Zero Event, the Fortress of Solitude would fall into the malevolent hands of Lex Luthor. * Growth Codex: Superman's cells have been bonded by Jor-El to the Kryptonian Growth Codex, which constituted the intended DNA makeup of over a billion Kryptonians. However, as revealed by Jax-Ur, it would have still been potentially possible to extract the Codex from Superman's body even if the latter had been killed. * Kryptonite Spear: Superman utilized this weapon (originally owned by Batman) in his ferocious mortal duel with Doomsday, ultimately managing to kill the monster with it. Due to its nature, it is one of the extremely few weapons capable of actually wounding and killing Kryptonians.